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He adjusts the cuff of his shirt, revealing an expensive watch. “Honestly, yes.”
“Sorry, buddy. I’m taken.”
An age-old lie that only sometimes works, but it’s my go-to.
“Then you’re about to get stolen.” He pauses. “Shit, that sounded like a kidnapping thing.”
“Yeah, it did.” I put my hands on my hips, and he grins widely, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
“I’m not going to kidnap you.”
“Good.”
“I might marry you, though.”
My brows fly up, and I laugh. “What about the two other guys who proposed to me earlier?”
“Third time’s a charm.”
In the dark, with a smile like that, he seems sweeter than the others. But he won’t be. They never are.
“What makes you so sure I’m marriage material?”
The stranger grins, and it’s a panty-dropping sight. “Call it a gut feeling.”
A world of shimmering lights is behind him, but they pale in comparison to how he’s looking at me. I thought I’d left behind the version of me that saw romance in red flags, but here I am, once again charmed by a stranger.
“You sure you’re not already married?” I ask, and he shows me his ring-free fingers. “Rings come off.”
He shakes his head. “I grew up with parents who loved each other and only each other. When I find that, I’m not fucking around.”
Now I’m intrigued. Silly me, probably. Still, I face him. “That was endearing.”
“I’m an endearing guy.”
“I’m sure.” I check my watch. I’ve been gone for too long, but I can give him a few more minutes. “I’ll have to politely decline your proposal.”
He hisses through his teeth. “Ouch. Can I ask why?”
“I don’t trust strange men in dark alleys.”
As the words leave my mouth, the lights of Freemont Street glow and flood the darkness. Fireworks burst above us, colors dancing across his handsome face, a rainbow of lights showering us.
He tips his head back and smiles at the spritz of colors across the night sky, and when he looks at me again, he says, “It’s not dark anymore.”
Fuck. Hearts can be so inconvenient sometimes.
“Tell you what, sailor,” I say and approach him.
“Sailor?”
“I’m trying something. Just go with it. If I see you again anywhere other than where I work, I’ll marry you. How’s that sound?”
The stranger narrows his eyes as if considering the offer, then pockets his phone and holds out his hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal, soldier.”
“Soldier?”
“I’m trying something. Just go with it.”
